This summer, the JetBlue Foundation has partnered with the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP) to host seven Aviation Career Education (ACE) Academy summer camps for future aviators. Thanks to a grant from the JetBlue Foundation, OBAP was able to bring the program to additional cities this year. The camps were held in seven different locations – New York, Boston, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Long Beach, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Students jumped right in from the very start. Mornings included conversations with pioneers in the industry including pilots, flight engineers, and even members of the Tuskegee Airmen Experience. This was a great opportunity for the students to hear first-hand and ask questions about what it takes to succeed in the aviation industry.

Then, the students were taken on the ride of their lives. Some piloted simulators, experiencing the same equipment and training activities as JetBlue’s pilots. From learning how to land an E-190 aircraft, to learning CPR, the range of hands-on learning activities truly ran the gambit. Students also took their learning to the real world. ACE Academy camps provided the students with behind-the-scenes visits to air traffic control towers, operations centers, and even the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. Over their week-long camp experience, students had the opportunity to envision themselves in careers they might never have seen themselves in, making these experiences all the more necessary.

Beyond just grants, the JetBlue Foundation provides in-kind support, mentoring, internships and much more to make a difference for the next generation of aviators, engineers, dispatchers, schedulers, aircraft mechanics and pilots. Over the past five years, the Foundation has built ongoing relationships with nearly 40 aviation and STEM-focused programs and provided more than $750,000 in grants to help these programs take off and soar.

The JetBlue Foundation is currently accepting applications for the next round of grants. For grant criteria or to submit an application, go to jetbluefoundation.org. Visit the site for more information, to see how previous recipients have utilized their grants, examples of JetBlue Foundation partnerships in flight and other STEM-related news.